JUDAH FINDS OUT!

By Catherine L.

Introduction:

Ever curious why books, television shows, and movies do not want you to know about whatever happened to some interesting side story? Really you don't know? Well..neither do I! But what I do know is that I wish they would tell us... Which brings me to why I wanted to know what happened after Judah finds out that he impregnated his daughter-in-law. So I decided to create my own version. The scene I wrote explains why and how the two ended up meeting and having sexual relations with one another, and what they will end up doing with their baby. My project includes the audio-cast, dialogue, webspiration chart, analysis of characters, and analysis of the whole wiki process.

judah_tamar.jpg

Artistic Information:

The painting Judah and Tamar is by Emile Jean-Horace Vernet (1789-1863). He painted it in 1840 and the medium is oil on canvas. Horace Vernet was famous for his battles and portraits that he painted. His famous father, also a painter, Carle Vernet, was the son of another painter Claude Joseph Vernet. Horace Vernet was born in the Paris Louvre. He loved painting famous history scenes, especially French royalty, battle, and Biblical scenes. Once Horace Vernet was asked to remove an obnoxious looking general from one of his paintings, he replied: "I am a painter of history, sire, and I will not violate the truth."

Bibliography of Horace Vernet (see bottom of page): http://www.artnet.com/artist/558212/emile-jean-horace-vernet.html

Character Analysis:

Judah’s lust towards women overpowers his nobility. The image: “Judah and Tamar” shows Judah giving Tamar, who is wearing a prostitute’s veil while sitting on a rock, a lustful glare while he is ignoring the camel behind him and focusing on her. The striking glare that Judah is giving Tamar powerfully shows his lust towards her. Though Judah loves women, this is overpowered by his overpower ness to be Nobel. Judah being in all powerful worries about things like being laughed at which is stated in Genesis. “Let her keep the things as her won, other wise we will be laughed at” (Gen. 38.23) Judah worries in Genesis that because know that everyone knows that he slept with Tamar, he will lose his nobility, and that people will not trust him anymore. Judah fears that it will ruin his reputation, because of the word “laughed”. Laughed shows how he worries that when people are laughing at him it will be highly demeaning to someone as noble as he is. Judah like many people in the Bible want to remain like a noble person and will do almost anything to achieve that.
Hesitance, Tamar’s main characteristic, brings out her deceitfulness of her own decisions. Tamar in the image covers her face wither her veil as if she is not showing any interest while she is leaning away from Judah. Judah seems fascinated by Tamar and shows interest in her more than in the camel behind her. “The way Tamar holds herself with her body and her face shows her playfully being hesitance towards Judah”. Tamar wants Judah to sleep with her, but she doesn’t want him to know that, so in return she is playing hard to get which shows how her hesitance is also deceitful. Like other people in Genesis, Tamar has two very different traits that can either prove she is good or bad, thin this case bad."'Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep'..she put off her widow's garments, put on a veil…sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah" (Genesis 38.1314) The editors of the bible use the words "put" to show how Tamar is making these interesting decisions after hearing about her father-in-law. Tamar is making rash decisions that show her deceitfulness because she goes against the grain and uses the information about Judah to find him and to entice him into sleeping with her.

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Script:

The scene begins right after Judah finds out that Tamar his daughter-in-law is pregnant.


Tamar: ummm... sooo....good

Judah: ewww how could you say such a thing? I am related to you!

Tamar: but not by blood!
(pause)

Judah: you should be ashamed of yourself!

Tamar: (nuh uhhh voice) pstsspt

Judah: (he stumbles over his words with disgust over Tamar) how could you not know who I am, how could you let someone take you as a prostitute, how long has this been going on, why were you sitting outside of the entrance to Enaim, shouldn’t you have been in your fathers house?

Tamar: hmphmpppp....well first off we have met many times before just because I was wearing a veil you still should have known who I was I could not believe you didn't recognize my voice...

Judah: I do not have to put up with this (thinking voice)
(pauses)
So if you knew who I was why would you still want me to come into you?

Tamar: this is what I thought: well I was a bit hesitant but I thought that you knew who I was and was fine with that and hey you were willing to give me a reward! By the way I really did enjoy the kid from the flock

Judah: well I guess everything is solved then...(boom!)

Judah: wait a sec . heyyy but you never answered any of my other questions!

Tamar: (perplexed) nice catch

Judah: so why were you sitting outside of the entrance to Enaim?!?!?

Tamar: I do not have to answer that

Judah: ANSWER ME WOMEN! Or else

Tamar: or else...what

Judah: I will have you cursed

Tamar: well then...(mocking thinking voice but somewhat frightened) I was told that you would be traveling to Timnah so I decided maybe I would leave the house and try to find you

Judah: you did...you happy (grumbling)...but why would you change into a prostitute's veil?

Tamar: I hate waiting around to get married I have needs just like you and any other person

Judah: God doesn’t have any needs...we should all take after his example he is the creator of everything that has to do with our well-being

Tamar: I think you should go back to not sleeping with prostitutes

Judah: so how long has this been going on? wait...a prostitute?

Tamar: not long enough obviously I have just been impregnated

Judah: (he has a realization) god and all of his holiness!

Judah: (thinking voice) I didn't realize this till now! What will happen to my reputation...zzzz
(thump. Judah faints)

Tamar: Judah...Judah.... are you ok...(heartbeats in background)

Judah: uapdhodapfj...how will I remain in the power that I am?

Tamar: you will not be at all powerful... that’s your problem...this is my child. I want it. I need it.

Judah:(business man fast talking voice) if you say you don’t know who the father is I will pay for this child to grow up (song: hallelujah plays till the end)

Tamar: deal (fireworks)


Analysis of the Script:

Catherine uses "not believe" to show how Tamar thinks so low of Judah and how he could not recognize her. Tamar blames Judah for her own mistakes which shows how she cunning and deceitful because she tries to make it seem to Judah that it is his own fault. Catherine also uses "hmphmppp" to show how Tamar is trying to hide her own hesitance towards the subject of trying to explain why she waited toward where she knew Judah was going to be in a prostitutes vail. Tamar's hesitance relates to how she does not want Judah to know the truth in the way she did want to sleep with him. On the other hand Catherine uses "power" for Judah's priority of his power and nobility. Judah fainted after finding out of Tamar's baby, and when he woke up the first thing that he wants to say is about how he will remain noble with a mistress. Catherine uses "ashamed" to show how Judah like Tamar is trying to hide his own feelings of being ashamed, so he tells them to Tamar about how she should feel ashamed. Judah feels ashamed due to how he will have to deal with getting a girl pregnant in the public's eye and it hurts him to have people make fun of him.

judahsolicits.jpg



Reflection:

My weaknesses are anything that has to involve analysis. It was very hard for me to write the character analysis due to the fact that I am very bad at extended analysis, which usually answers the questions: How? and Why? Also figuring out the traits from the picture, bible, and script were also very challenging because I would assume that they were the trait I pictured while writing it. But in fact they were something completely different. My strengths are definitely the dialogue. I was able to "coach" my sister and brother into performing certain voices that would fit each line of the script. The whole project deferentially brought me some challenges, including the webspiration chart, which I always find challenging due to the analysis part. The whole project end to end I think I put in a lot of effort and hope it shows when other people view it.

Works Cited:

The New Oxford Annotated Bible New Revised Standard Version.// Oxford Univ Pr, 2007. Print

http://www.womeninthebible.net/images/1.9B-2_TAMAR_Tamar_and_Judah_Horace_Vernet.jpg http://www.ronaldecker.com/judahsolicits.jpg http://www.ronaldecker.com/judahsolicits.jpg